2 Kings 7

7:1
Then Elisha
said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow
about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel,
and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.7:2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God,
and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this
thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but
shalt not eat thereof.7:3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate:
and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? 7:4 If we
say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and
we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now
therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they
save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.7:5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the
Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of
Syria, behold, there was no man there.7:6 For the LORD had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of
chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and
they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us
the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come
upon us.7:7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their
tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and
fled for their life.7:8 And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they
went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver,
and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and
entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid
it.7:9 Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day
of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning
light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we
may go and tell the king's household.7:10 So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they
told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold,
there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and
asses tied, and the tents as they were.7:11 And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house
within.7:12 And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I
will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we
be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves
in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch
them alive, and get into the city.7:13 And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray
thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city,
(behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it:
behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites
that are consumed:) and let us send and see.7:14 They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after
the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.7:15 And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was
full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their
haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.7:16 And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So
a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of
barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.7:17 And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have
the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and
he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down
to him.7:18 And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king,
saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine
flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of
Samaria: 7:19 And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now,
behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing
be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt
not eat thereof.7:20 And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the
gate, and he died.

1,2Man's extremity is God's opportunity of making his own
power to be glorious: his time to appear for his people is when
their strength is gone. Unbelief is a SinBy which men greatly
dishonour and displease God, and deprive themselves of the
favours he designed for them. Such will be the portion of those
that believe not the promise of eternal Life; they shall see it
at a distance, but shall never taste of it. But No temporal
deliverances and mercies will in the End profit sinners, unless
they are led to RepentanceBy the Goodness of God.

3-11God can, when he pleases, make the stoutest Heart to
tremble; and as for those who will not fear God, he can make
them fear at the shaking of a Leaf. Providence ordered it, that
the lepers came as soon as the Syrians were fled. Their
consciences told them that mischief would befall them, if they
took care of themselves only. Natural humanity, and fear ofPunishment, are powerful checks On the selfishness of the
ungodly. These feelings tend to preserve order and kindness in
the world; but they who have found the unsearchable riches ofChrist, will not long delay to report the good tidings to
others. From Love to him, not from selfish feelings, they will
gladly share their earthly good things with their brethren.

12-20 Here see the wants of Israel supplied in a way they
little thought of, which should encourage us to depend upon the
power and Goodness of God in our greatest straits. God's promise
may be safely relied On, for NoWord of his shall fall to the
ground. The Nobleman that questioned the Truth of Elisha's Word,
saw the plenty, to silence and shame his unbelief, and therein
saw his own folly; but he did not eat of the plenty he saw.
Justly do those find the world's promises fail them, who think
that the promises of God will disappoint them. Learn how deeplyGod resents distrust of his power, Providence, and promise: how
uncertain Life is, and the enjoyments of it: how certain God's
threatenings are, and how sure to come On the guilty. May God
help us to inquire whether we are exposed to his threatenings,
or interested in his promises.